


Insufferable

by castles_and_crowns



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Fluff, Until she is, ben is a snark master, rey is not amused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 14:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15731337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castles_and_crowns/pseuds/castles_and_crowns
Summary: Rey Niima and Ben Solo are both student ambassadors at their university.  This means that, unfortunately for Rey, they often get stuck with each other at various university events.  Rey finds Ben Solo to be an insufferable snob until he begins to slowly prove to be otherwise.





	Insufferable

**Author's Note:**

> This probably could have been split up into short chapters, like my fic "Through the Years," but I decided to just put it all up as a one shot.
> 
> Side note: I know almost nothing about student ambassadors or dance marathons, so forgive me if I've displayed them inaccurately.
> 
> This magical world belongs to Lucasfilm.

**FRESHMAN YEAR: October**

 

It’s a suspiciously cold Saturday morning as Rey Niima makes her way across campus. She’s already passed a couple of fellow students complaining about the weather, but Rey thinks they’re crazy. Growing up in Jakku—basically a desert wasteland as far as Rey was concerned—Rey treasures these abnormally chilly mornings. Sure, it’s cold, but it’s not unbearable. She simply pulls her secondhand pea coat closer to her body as she power walks to her destination, the student ambassadors’ office. As a student ambassador, Rey works in the office several times a month, answering phone calls, e-mail inquiries, and giving campus tours.

 

When she got chosen to be a student ambassador, Rey had been elated. The ambassadors only choose two freshmen, and Rey was fortunate enough to be one of them. Being involved during her university years is very important to Rey because she's pre-med and wants to make sure her resume shines.

 

When Rey gets to the student ambassador office, she unlocks the office door, walks in, and turns on the lights. Three students man the office each day, and Rey is surprised to find that she is the first of the three ambassadors here. She checks the messages on the phone and finds that there are two. The first message is from a junior ambassador Jessika.

 

_“Hey, it’s Jessika. I hate to do this, but I can’t come in today. I’ve got a family emergency and had to leave town late last night. I’m really sorry to leave you hanging. I hope to be back Tuesday.”_

 

Rey groans. That means today she’s left working alone with—

 

Her thought is cut short by the second message.

 

_It’s Ben. I’m not going to make it in today. Got a bit of a headache. Sorry._

Rey swears under her breath before immediately calling Ben Solo back on the office phone.

 

“Hello?” he answers after the third ring.

 

“Get your hung-over ass into the office, Solo.”

 

“Niima? You didn’t get my message? I’ve got a headache.”

 

Rey shakes her head. “I got your message, and I’d be willing to bet money that you’ve got a headache because you took advantage of the Friday night drink specials last night at one of the bars. I need you to come in. Jessika called out because she’s got a family emergency, and I can’t man the office and give tours by myself.”

 

There’s silence on the other side of the phone for a minute before Ben lets out an obnoxiously long sigh. “I’m not doing tours.”

 

“Wow, you really are an entitled brat aren’t you? Whatever, that’s fine. You can stay in the office. I’ll give the tours.”

 

“Okay,” he says, groaning. She’s picturing him dragging his tall body out of his bed.

 

“The first tour is in forty-five minutes. _Please_ get here before then.”

 

“I will,” he mutters before hanging up.

 

Ben Solo, the other freshman ambassador, is the most insufferable person Rey has ever met. His parents, Han Solo and Leia Organa-Solo, are legacies at the university and are also the university’s biggest donors. This basically means that Ben can get away with almost anything he wants, which is particularly infuriating because not only is Ben an ambassador like Rey, he’s also pre-med like her. Rey, therefore, has evidence of his privilege everywhere.

 

Unlike Ben, Rey is the opposite of entitled. She grew up in various foster homes before branching off on her own at eighteen. She has never been given anything in her entire life, and she fully supports herself. It’s something Rey takes great pride in, frankly.

 

When Ben Solo strolls in, thirty-eight minutes later, it’s clear to Rey that he is, in fact, hung-over.

 

“Morning, Niima,” Ben grumbles, making his way through the small crowd of people who have gathered in the office for the tour.

 

She looks Ben up and down, not bothering to hide her scowl.

 

“What’d I do now?”

 

“You could tuck in your polo, for one” she tells him. For someone with so much money, he really looks like a bum right now. “And two, you could have combed your hair. It looks like you crawled out of bed.”

 

 _Which he probably did,_ she thinks.

 

“You’re so uptight,” Ben comments, running a hand through his thick black hair in a lazy attempt to tame it.

 

“You could stand to be a little _more_ uptight,” Rey replies. “You’re lucky I didn’t call Miss D’Acy on you this morning.”

 

Miss D’Acy is the student ambassadors’ faculty advisor and a real stickler for the rules.

 

Ben puts a hand to his chest, in pretend outrage. “Rey Niima, you wouldn’t!”

 

Rey rolls her eyes, pushing past him so that she can start to round up the people for the tour. “I would, but I didn’t. Now, try not to fall asleep at the desk, okay?”

 

“I’ll do my best,” he says, smirking at her.

 

Rey can only shake her head.

 

***

 

At the end of the day, Rey and Ben are closing up the office—or rather, Rey is closing up. Ben just leans against a file cabinet, scanning through today’s tour evaluations, and occasionally glancing up at her to watch her clean. He looks like he doesn’t have a responsibility in the world, and Rey realizes he probably doesn’t.

 

“You got a lot of compliments today for your tours,” he comments, and for a moment, Rey thinks he might be speaking sincerely.

 

She looks up from the broom she’s using to sweep the floor. “That’s what I strive for. I take great pride in my school, and I want others to appreciate it the way I do.”

 

“You’re such an overachiever,” he snorts.

 

“And you’re content with just getting by," she snaps back.

 

Ben shrugs, before walking toward Rey and taking the broom from her. He quickly finishes sweeping the room for her and then puts the broom back in the supply closet.

 

Rey almost says ‘thank you,’ and then she notices something.

 

“You never tucked in your shirt.”

 

When she says this, he laughs, deep and unbridled. “I was hoping you’d notice that.”

 

“You’re impossible,” she says, glaring at him.

 

**FRESHMAN YEAR: March**

 

Rey hates wearing high heels. She feels like a newborn foal, wobbling around and unable to walk straight. She really hopes the people here don’t think she’s drunk—she hasn’t had a drop of liquor tonight; she’s just not used to wearing heels and unfortunately, this occasion pretty much requires them.

 

Rey, along with her fellow ambassadors, is attending the annual black tie alumni benefit for their university. Her job is basically to mingle with the alumni donors and show them how good of a reflection of the school she is. It’s easy enough, for the most part. She always starts off by telling them she’s pre-med. They eat that right up.

 

About an hour and a half into the benefit, Miss D’Acy finds Rey and says she wants to introduce her to some very important people.

 

 _They’re all important_ , Rey thinks. But then she sees who D’Acy is bringing her to, and she realizes that the woman is right. These are _very_ important people.

 

Standing in front of her are Han Solo, Leia Organa-Solo, and their horrendous son Ben Solo.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Solo, this is Rey Niima. She is the other freshman ambassador,” Miss D’Acy introduces.

 

Leia’s face immediately lights up and she extends a manicured hand to Rey. “It’s lovely to meet you, Rey.”

 

“It’s lovely to meet you, too,” Rey replies.

 

“So, you work closely with Ben, here, then?” Han says, as he takes her hand to shake it.

 

Rey’s eyes flit over to Ben, who is standing next to his parents and looking bored.

 

“Yes, I do, sir.” She leaves out the part where Ben barely pulls his weight and is always trying to get out of things.

 

“And what do you study?” Leia asks. Her attention on Rey is sharp but surprisingly not intimidating.

 

“Biology,” Rey answers. “I’m pre-med.”

 

“Just like Ben!” Leia exclaims. “That’s wonderful.”

 

“So wonderful,” Ben mutters sarcastically under his breath.

 

His mother shoots him a dark look, but he just rolls his eyes and saunters off.

 

“Sorry about Ben,” she apologizes. “I think he’s embarrassed that we’re here.”

 

“He shouldn’t be,” Rey replies. “He’s lucky to have parents who are involved.”

 

Leia and Han both give her an odd look, but neither says anything. They speak with her a little while longer before Miss D’Acy brings them another ambassador to meet with.

 

Thirsty, Rey heads to the bar for a ginger ale. After ordering it, she hears a snort behind her. She turns around to see Ben Solo approaching her. He’s removed his tux jacket, and he looks significantly more disheveled than he did earlier in the evening. His white button down is wrinkled ( _he probably owns his tux instead of renting one_ , she thinks) and his hair looks particularly unkempt, similar to that morning in October when he showed up late to the ambassador’s office.

 

“Just a ginger ale?” he asks, as he leans against the bar.

 

“Yeah. I’m only nineteen.”

_So are you_ , she wants to add.

 

Ben snorts again before ordering his own drink: whiskey and coke.

 

“You’re seriously going to drink alcohol?” Rey asks, slightly scandalized. “With D’Acy _and_ your parents around?”

 

Ben rolls his eyes, just as the bartender returns with Rey’s ginger ale.

 

“D’Acy isn’t going to discipline me with my parents here. And my parents aren’t going to discipline me and risk causing a scene.”

 

“Wow,” Rey says, shaking her head before taking a sip of her drink. “You are really a piece of work.”

 

“Is that a compliment?” he asks, tilting his head. A smirk is just barely peeking through in his expression.  

 

“It’s absolutely _not_ a compliment. In fact, it’s an insult. You’re a spoiled brat.”

 

Ben shrugs, brushing off her comment, as the bartender places his drink on the bar top.

 

Rey scowls at his indifference. “Don’t you care at all about what people think about you? You’re a _Solo_ , for God’s sake.”

 

For a split second, she sees Ben’s eyes darken and his shoulders tense, but the look is gone in an instant and he relaxes once more. “I’m more than my last name.”

 

“But you’ll use it to your advantage if you can get something out of it,” she counters, taking another sip of her drink.

 

“So would anyone else,” Ben bites back.

 

“Not me,” Rey says, crossing her arms against her chest defiantly.

           

Ben looks like he’s about to scoff, but instead, his eyes drift down to her chest. Rey looks down, realizing that her crossed arms have pushed up, and therefore enhanced, her cleavage, which previously had been barely visible in her modest black dress. She flushes and immediately removes her arms from her chest.

 

 Ben looks back up at her, the smirk now openly playing on his lips. “No,” he says slowly. “Not you. You need everyone to know how hard you work. You _need_ other people’s respect and approval.”

 

“I don’t _need_ anything,” Rey says, true anger beginning to take over for the mild annoyance she had previously been feeling.

 

“Whatever you say, Niima,” Ben says, before downing the rest of his glass.

           

Part of Rey wants to keep fighting with him. She wants to defend herself and she wants to call him an asshole. But this is not the place to make a scene. She’s smart enough to know that.

 

So instead, she quickly finishes her own drink before giving him a dirty look and attempting to storm off indignantly. The only problem is that her heels are so uncomfortable that she can only make tiny strides away from him.

 

She hears Ben snicker behind her, but she doesn’t dare turn around.

 

**SOPHOMORE YEAR: August**

 

It’s move-in weekend at the university, and Rey and Ben are in the lobby of a freshman dorm, prepared to assist incoming freshman with any issues they have. It’s part of their job as ambassadors to help the new students with any move-in related questions or problems, which is why they are stationed here all day, much to Rey’s chagrin. It’s not that her post bothers her, of course; she’s bothered by whom she’s manning the post with.

 

It’s a little after noon right now, and at this point, she’s been with Ben for just over three hours. He’s been an annoyance as usual, but things between them have been mostly civil. It’s not until he makes an elitist comment that Rey takes the bait and bite back.

 

They’re leaning against a wall, watching the freshman and their parents scurry around when Ben mutters, “God, I’m so glad I don’t live in a dorm. These places are such pieces of crap.”

 

Rey, who does live in a dorm, snaps her head toward him. “Do you even _hear_ yourself? You are such a _snob_.”

 

“Oh, c’mon,” Ben says, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes at Rey’s indignation. “You’re telling me, if you could move out of your crap-hole dorm tomorrow and move into a decent apartment, you wouldn’t?”

 

Rey sighs, amazed at how much Ben just doesn’t _get it._ “No, that’s not what I’m telling you, jackass. What I’m saying is that the _way_ you talk sounds so superior, like you’re so much better than the rest of us because you live in a damn apartment.”

 

He’s quiet for a moment, and Rey thinks she’s won their argument. But then just as she’s about to gloat, he asks, “Have you been to Chandrila Heights?”

 

“No,” she groans, thinking that now she’s going to hear how upscale and wonderful the Chandrila Heights apartment complex is.

 

Why is she still even engaging with him? It’s clear that he thinks he’s completely above her with the way he’s disregarding everything she’s said today—and really everything she’s ever said since she’s known him.

 

“That’s my apartment complex. I’m having a back to school party next Friday. You should come.”

 

She lets out a laugh, loud and incredulous. “Why would I come to your party?”

 

He looks genuinely confused by her reaction. “Some of the other ambassadors are coming. Mitaka, Hux, Phasma.”

 

“Yeah, those are your friends. _We_ —“ she says, pointing between them, “—are not friends.”

 

“Damn, Niima,” he chuckles, after a moment. “You’re stone cold.”

 

Rey shrugs apathetically. She’s not stone cold. She has tons of friends that would prove his statement otherwise.

 

Ben pushes himself off the wall and runs a hand through his hair. “I’m going to the vending machine. You want something?”

 

“No,” she replies, shaking her head. A ‘thanks’ almost slips past her tongue, but she doesn’t allow it.

 

When Ben returns, he goes and leans against the other side of the wall away from her. Rey fights the smug smile that is tugging at her lips. She’s successfully scared him off.

 

***

           

The day is winding down when Ben finally decides to talk to her again, much to her disappointment. She had been hoping to go the whole afternoon without listening to his obnoxious voice.

 

She’s just finished helping this blubbering freshman when Ben strolls over to her.

 

“Hey,” he says, and there’s something in the tone of his voice that tells her he’s not about to make one of his usual annoying comments. It’s actually a little disquieting.

 

“What?” she asks, her voice more severe than she’d meant for it to sound.

 

Ben holds up his hands, palms out, and laughs that deep, cocky laugh of his. “I come in peace. Don’t bite.”

 

“What do you want, Solo?” Rey groans.

 

“You’re taking organic chem this semester, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What lab section are you in?”

 

“Wednesday at 1 p.m.”

 

He smiles a little, but it’s not like his usual arrogant smiles; it’s softer.

 

“Me too.”

 

“Okay.”

 

“We should be lab partners.”

 

Rey’s eyes go wide. She’s too shocked to laugh at the ludicrousness of his suggestion. “Oh, yeah? Why should we be lab partners?”

 

“Because it’s always awkward and such a pain in the ass trying to pick a partner on the first day of class. And we know each other—“

 

“And _hate_ each other,” she interrupts.

 

He waves her off as if what she’s said is completely inconsequential. “But we _know_ each other. We’re both smart. We’re both hard workers.”

 

Rey scoffs, giving him a pointed look. “Are _we both_ hard workers?”

 

“I pull my weight,” he replies, with just the slightest hint of defensiveness.

 

“We’ll see,” Rey tells him. “I’m not making any promises.”

 

**SOPHOMORE YEAR: December**

 

Rey and Ben manage to make it through a whole semester as lab partners without killing each other. In fact, they actually wind up working well together. It doesn’t take long for Rey to see that Ben was right; he does pull his weight, though it’s obvious he lacks any enthusiasm for the subject and his snarky comments are a constant throughout the semester.

 

It’s early December, and they’re finishing their final lab for the semester. Rey cleans their supplies and wipes down the countertop, while Ben copies his recording of the data into Rey’s notebook for her.

 

“So, I actually think I like organic lab more than gen chem lab,” Ben comments from where he’s sitting on the wooden stool at their lab station.

 

“Yeah, me too,” Rey agrees.

 

“Have you scheduled your lab section for next semester?”

 

“Yeah. Thursday at 9 a.m.”

 

“Oh,” Ben says, and Rey thinks she might detect the slightest hint of disappointment in his voice.

 

“Why? When did you schedule?”

 

“Same time as this one.”

 

“Oh,” Rey says idly, as she tosses a handful of paper towels into a nearby wastebasket.

 

Ben closes Rey’s notebook and hands it to her, and Rey thanks him.

 

“When are you going to get started on your lab report?” he asks.

 

Rey shrugs as she stuffs the notebook in her backpack. “Probably this weekend.”

 

“Ah,” Ben says, as he begins to pack up his own notebook. “Well, how would you feel about a celebratory dinner later?”

 

Rey turns from her backpack and looks at him, confused. “A what?”

 

Ben frowns, zipping up his backpack. “A celebratory dinner. You know, to _celebrate_ the end of a successful semester of organic lab.”

 

“I, um…I’m going to have to pass. I’ve actually got a date tonight,” she says, feeling strangely self-conscious discussing her personal life with him. They’ve never hung out outside of class or an ambassador event, and while they’ve mostly gotten along this semester, Rey would definitely not call Ben her friend.

 

They both sling their backpacks over their shoulders and head for the exit.

 

“I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” Ben says, holding the door open for her.

 

“Well, it’s just a first date. We met on Tinder,” she replies. _Why is she still providing him with details_?

 

“Gotcha. Well, the dinner doesn’t have to be tonight. We could do it whenever.”

 

Rey’s face heats up and though she can feel his gaze on her, she looks straight ahead. “Actually…I think it’s better if we don’t. I’m actually starting to like working with you in a professional setting. You’ve had less of a chance to be obnoxious when we’re focused on not blowing anything up. We don’t need to ruin that by trying to be friends. We’d probably just kill each other.”

 

She chuckles at that last part, trying to ease the tension of what she’s just said. Out of her periphery, she sees Ben turn his head to face forward.

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” he agrees, also chuckling a little. “Smart thinking, Niima. You’ve only just stopped calling me an insufferable, entitled asshole. I wouldn’t want to ruin that by getting too personal.”

 

“Exactly,” Rey says, breathing a small sigh of relief.

 

**SUMMER: July**

 

As a student ambassador, Rey is required to work three weeks in the ambassador’s office over the summer. When she gets to the ambassador’s office on the first day of her three weeks, she’s surprised to see Ben is there. She knew he, along with another ambassador named Snap, was going to be working these three weeks with her, but she’s surprised to see that he’s here on time. She almost compliments him on his promptness but refrains.

 

“Snap texted me early this morning,” Ben says, swiveling around in the chair at one of the desks. “He’s going to be late.”

 

Immediately, Rey notices a nasty scar that practically bisects his face from his eyebrow to his neck. She doesn’t say anything about it, and if Ben sees her staring at it, he doesn’t say anything.

 

She sets her backpack down on the desk next to Ben’s. “How late?”

 

“Supposedly no more than two hours. He said something about having to take his dog for an emergency vet visit,” Ben shrugs.

 

  “Okay,” she sighs. “We’ve got a pretty light day, so I guess that’ll be fine.”

 

Today’s schedule should be fairly easy, thankfully. They don’t have any scheduled tours until the afternoon, so unless some prospective students wander in the office looking to explore the school, their only job until then is to answer any phone calls or e-mails.

 

“You’re not going to call Commander D’Acy?” Ben asks, quirking an eyebrow at her.

 

 Rey rolls her eyes at Ben’s nickname for their advisor. At the end of their sophomore year, D’Acy chewed Ben out for his lack of participation as an ambassador. Rey hadn’t been there for it, but she had heard from others that Ben actually sat there and took the lashing, though immediately after he started calling her ‘Commander’ behind her back.

 

“No, I’m not going to call her. The two of us are here. We can handle things for two hours.”

 

Ben nods and turns his attention to some game on his phone, while Rey pulls the current novel she’s reading out of her backpack. They sit in a comfortable silence for about forty minutes, each one minding their own business, when suddenly the air conditioning shuts off.

 

“What the hell?” Ben says, looking up at the vent. “Did the AC just go out?”

 

Rey shrugs, not looking up from her book.

 

“It’s too damn hot outside for this bullshit,” Ben mutters.

 

 _Well, there goes the peace between us_ , Rey thinks. If he’s going to start on a rant, Rey’s going to lose it.

 

When she doesn’t say anything, Ben turns in his chair to face her. “Are you not bothered by this?”

 

She looks up from her book and gives him an exasperated look. “I’m not _enjoying_ having no air conditioning, but I’m used to it. We’ll survive.”

 

“You’re used to not having AC?” Ben asks incredulously.

 

“Sometimes. My foster father wasn’t always great about getting things fixed in a timely manner. Not to mention, I grew up in the desert.”

 

Ben’s eyes are wide, and Rey realizes she’s never talked about her childhood with him. Why would she have? It’s not like they’re friends. But now he knows, and he’s looking at her like he’s in shock.

 

“I didn’t know that,” Ben says.

 

Rey laughs a little. “Yeah, well. It’s not something I typically share with people. Plus, it’s in the past. I don’t plan on ever going back to Jakku.”

 

“Oh, wow, that really is the desert,” Ben comments. “Guess I learned something new about you today, Niima.”

 

There’s a small smile playing on his lips, but it’s not smug or snarky. It actually looks sincere.

 

Rey should just nod and return her attention to her book. Given their history of bickering, it would be better to end the conversation. And yet, for some inexplicable reason, she puts her novel down on the desk in front of her and turns her own chair to face him.

 

“Well, now we have to even the score.”

 

Ben’s smile grows and he tucks his phone into his pocket. “Okay. What do you want to know?”

 

“What’s it like growing up like you did?”

 

“You mean—“

 

“Having your last name and a crap ton of money,” she answers.

 

He drags a hand through his hair and says, “It comes with a lot of expectations.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like having to be this university’s golden boy.”

 

Rey laughs, perhaps a little more harshly than she should. “You’re hardly the golden boy.”

 

His face is serious though. “Maybe I’m just not living up to the expectations then.”

 

It’s a surprisingly fair point actually, and she actually doesn’t know what to respond to it.

 

“You know I only went pre-med because that’s what everyone expected me to do.”

 

Rey’s eyebrows shoot up. “Really?”

 

Ben chuckles at her surprise. “Yeah. I actually wanted to study history.”

 

“You still could.”

 

He shrugs. “Maybe I’ll be able to get a minor in it. We’ll see.”

 

“I think if you want to major in history, you should major in history,” Rey says, frowning. “Would your parents really mind?”

 

Ben shakes his head. “No, they wouldn’t. I’d just feel like I’d be letting them down.”

 

It’s easily the most vulnerable thing Ben’s ever said to her, and that fact is not lost on either of them. Ben’s eyes drop down to his lap, while Rey wrings her hands, trying to find something to say. Finally, after what’s quickly becoming an awkward silence, Rey just speaks the first thing that comes to her mind.

 

“How did lab go this past semester?”

 

Ben’s voice is much lighter now as he replies. “It wasn’t great. I still got an A, but my partner was shit.”

 

“Yeah, my partner wasn’t that great either. I wound up doing most of the work.”

 

Ben nods, the corners of his lips twitching upward. “Yeah, same.”

 

“I never would have guessed you would have been such a competent lab partner,” Rey tells him.

 

A short but booming laugh comes from Ben, and his eyes sparkle with mischief. “ _Competent_. I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. I might actually cry.”

 

Rey leans forward, swatting him on the arm. “Shut up.”

 

Ben laughs again, this time much less loudly, and then says, “Hey—how did your date go?”

 

“Date?” Rey asks, confused. She hasn’t been on a date in months.

 

“Yeah, the one you were going on after we finished the lab final.”

 

_Oh, that one._

Rey rolls her eyes at the memory. “It was a disaster. I swore off Tinder after that.”

 

For a moment, Rey sees something flash across Ben’s face, but it’s gone in an instant. “Yeah, Tinder sucks. I think I had it for, like, a month before getting rid of it. Girls see the last name ‘Solo,’ and they immediately swipe right.”

 

Rey opens her mouth, ready to ask him if he realizes how conceited he sounds, but before she can, Ben holds his hand up to stop her.

 

“I know what you’re going to say. I’m not being arrogant. I’m stating a fact. They see ‘Solo,’ and they immediately see dollar signs.”

 

“Oh. That sucks.”

 

“Yeah. I don’t want to be with someone who only wants me for my ‘fancy’ last name or my parents’ money.”

 

Somehow they’ve circled back to more serious topics. Before she can say anything, whether it be sincere response to his statement or an attempt to once again lighten the mood, Ben stretches his long legs out, his feet landing on Rey’s thighs. She looks at him, confused, and he smirks and crosses his arms.

 

“You can ask me about it, you know?” he says casually. “It’s not, like, taboo or anything.”

 

“Ask you about what?”

 

“My scar. You’ve been staring at it since you got here.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Rey hadn’t realizes she’d been looking at it so much. Her cheeks immediately go red, and this only makes Ben chuckle.

 

“You’re not the first person I’ve caught staring and you won’t be the last. Don’t be embarrassed.”

 

Rey inhales a deep breath and then releases it. “Okay. How’d you get it?”

 

“Car accident right after spring finals.”

 

Rey’s eyes go big and she bites her lip. “Please don’t tell me you were drinking and driving.”

 

He shakes his head. “No, actually. I do have _some_ common sense, you know? It was raining and I hydroplaned before crashing into a tree. This,” he points to his scar, “is the result of the windshield shattering.”

 

Rey blanches. “Oh, my God, Ben. I’m so sorry. That’s horrible.”

 

For the first time, she feels a genuine pang of sympathy for him. No one deserves going through that experience.

 

“I mean, yeah, it sucks. But it could have been so much worse. Honestly, I’m grateful.”

 

Ben’s comment loosens a tight knot in Rey’s chest. “Who are you and what have you done with Ben Solo?” Rey can’t help but laugh. “Why do you sound so wise all of a sudden?”

 

“Don’t worry,” he laughs, as he removes his feet from her lap. “I’m still an insufferable asshole.”

 

But Rey’s starting to think that maybe he’s not.

 

 

**JUNIOR YEAR: November**

 

They’re at some retreat for student ambassadors from universities all over the country. It’s the last night before they head home, and the ambassadors who are of age decide to go out to a club close to their hotel. Rey really didn’t want to go, but her friends and fellow ambassadors Finn and Rose had dragged her.

 

“We didn’t get to take you out for your twenty-first birthday, so let us take you out tonight!” Finn had practically begged.

 

“I didn’t go out because I didn’t want to,” Rey had told them, as the three of them sat in her hotel room. Rey was resting on the bed, while Finn and Rose paced around the room, trying to convince her. “Getting drunk isn’t my idea of a good time.”

 

“Oh, c’mon,” Rose had groaned. “You don’t even have to drink if you don’t want to. We can just dance.”

 

“I really don’t want to,” Rey had said, pushing herself up by her elbows.

 

Finn had plopped down on the bed beside her. “Just come for a little bit. And if you’re really having that awful of a time, we can go home early.”

 

And that’s how Rey finds herself at a too smoky, too loud, too crowded bar with Finn, Rose, and a handful of other ambassadors. She tries dancing with her friends, but this music isn’t really her thing and she isn’t much of a dancer. She’s about to signal to Finn that she’s ready to go home when she spots Ben Solo leaning against the wall of the bar, arms crossed and miserable expression on his face.

 

Before she can stop herself, she approaches him. “What’s your deal?”

 

She expects him to offer her either his trademark smirk or a scowl, but he does neither.

 

“I don’t feel good, and Hux and Mitaka don’t want to leave, so I’m stuck here.”

 

She leans against the wall beside him. “Had too much to drink?” she asks.

 

“No. I haven’t had anything to drink. I think I’m getting sick. I’ve felt like shit for the past two days.”

 

“Why’d you come out then? You could have just stayed at the hotel?”

 

Ben shrugs. “Peer pressure, I guess? And I didn’t want to be stuck with the underclassmen.”

 

Rey chuckles. Ben doesn’t say anything else, and she watches him out of the corner of her eye. His face _is_ sallow, now that she’s paying attention.

 

“You can’t call an Uber?” she asks, after a minute.

 

He shakes his head. “Honestly, I’m afraid I might vomit in the car.”

 

Rey winces. “That bad?”

 

Ben swallows. “Yeah.”

 

Rey looks around the crowded bar. Ben’s friends, Mitaka and Hux, are standing at the bar, clearly very drunk and trying to talk to girls who are obviously not interested. Her friends are on the dance floor, undoubtedly having a blast. She makes a decision.

 

“I’ll walk back to the hotel with you.”

 

Ben turns to her, narrowing his eyes. “What?”

 

“It’s only a handful of blocks. And I’m not having a great time here anyway.”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“ _Yes_ ,” Rey huffs, rolling her eyes. _Does he want her help or not?_

“Um…okay.”

 

Rey finds this version of Ben unsettling. Sick Ben has absolutely none of the smugness or the swagger that Not-Sick Ben has, and Rey’s just not used to it. His tall body is hunched over and he seems to almost _drift_ towards the exit—a stark contrast to his usual well-postured strut. His voice is also remarkably flat—and not in that deadpan humor way that Rey has grown accustom to.

 

The cool November air is a refreshing change from the muggy atmosphere in the bar. Rey glances over at Ben and sees him inhaling a few deep breaths. The bright neon lights that advertise the sign of the club make Ben’s face more visible than it was in the club, and Rey can see now just how bad off he looks.

 

“Actually…Ben…are you sure you want to walk back?”

 

He nods.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to risk it and just call an Uber?”

 

“Would you just be quiet and stop asking questions?” he bites out in clear frustration.

 

Of course her first instinct is to snap at him for his rude tone, but she sees the look in his eyes and knows he’s not trying to be rude.

_He doesn’t want to have to open his mouth_ , she realizes.

 

“Okay,” Rey says, nodding. “Let’s start walking, then.”

 

As they walk, Rey enjoys taking in all the sites of this city she’s never been to, though she does occasionally look over at Ben to make sure he’s still upright. It’s about a fifteen-minute walk back to the hotel, and as they get closer, Rey notices Ben’s pace is slowing down.

 

She closes the small space between them and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Do we need to stop? Just shake your head yes or no, so you don’t have to speak.”

 

Ben shakes his head from side to side, in a way that strikes Rey as, well… _stubborn._

 

“If you need to, you know, lean on me or something…”

 

“I don’t,” he croaks, and Rey sees a peak of a scowl, and then he quickens his pace.

 

They’re only about fifty feet from the hotel when Ben stops in his tracks and drops to his knees on the sidewalk.

 

She approaches him, but he waves her off. “Don’t,” he chokes out.

 

Speaking, it turns out, was a mistake, and no sooner are the words out than Ben begins retching. It’s a grotesque sight, but Rey can’t help but go to Ben’s side. She gathers his long hair in her hands and holds it out of face as he vomits and growls and vomits some more.

 

“ _Shit_ ,” he mutters when he finally stops.

 

“Feel any better?” she asks softly, letting go of his hair and awkwardly patting him on the back.

 

“A little actually,” he answers, turning to look at her. Rey sees tear tracks running across his cheeks.

 

“Think you can make it back to the hotel?”

 

He nods and then stands up.

 

Thankfully, they make it back to the hotel without further incident. Once they’re in the elevator on the way up to their hotel room, Ben speaks.

 

“I changed my major, you know,” he says, in a quiet voice.

 

She turns to him in surprise. “You did?”

 

“Yeah, right before the semester, I decided to change it to History.”

 

Rey can’t help but grin. “Did our little talk over the summer have anything to do with it?”

 

She’s pleased, relieved even, to see his trademark smirk appear. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

 

She chuckles, as the elevator dings open. “You must be feeling better.”

 

Rey and Ben step out of the lift. Their rooms are on opposites sides of the floor, so this is where they part.

 

“Goodnight,” she tells him. “Feel better.”

 

She turns in the direction of her room, and then Ben calls out her last name.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Thank you for, you know, helping me out.”

 

“You’re welcome,” she tells him, smiling. “Knock on my door if you need anything else.”

 

He nods and then makes his way to his room.     

 

**JUNIOR YEAR: February**

 

The student ambassadors are throwing their annual charity event: the all-day and all-night dance marathon. It’s twenty hours of being on your feet, dancing—or at least pretending to dance.

 

With just four hours left to the marathon, Rey boogies her way over to the refreshment table to get a large glass of water. Ben, she sees, is also standing at the table, continuously gulping down water and then refilling his cup from the cooler.

 

“Thirsty?” she asks, slightly out of breath. She twirls around, while she waits for her turn at the cooler.

 

“Very,” Ben huffs. “I hate these things. There’s got to be a better way to raise money for charity.”

 

“Ben Solo, you are literally no fun,” Rey tells him, giggling a little. She may be a little delirious from lack of sleep.

 

“No, I know how to have fun,” he says, before guzzling down another cup of water. “If you ever came to one of my parties, you’d know.”

 

He gives her a pointed look, and she rolls her eyes before taking a sip from her cup. It’s true that Ben’s parties have become famous over the years for being wild. He’s invited her several times now, but with her pre-med courses intensifying, she doesn’t have much free time, and she doesn’t feel like spending the precious free time she has at a party where everyone is drunk.

 

“I’m going to get you to come to one of them one day,” he tells her.

 

“Yeah, maybe when I’m not tripping over biochemistry and physics books,” she tells him, taking another sip of water from her cup.

 

“How are classes, by the way? I haven’t seen you much this semester.”

 

“Honestly? Miserable. Plus, I’m studying for the MCAT, so that’s some additional stress. You should be glad you got out while you did.”

 

Ben laughs and tosses his now empty paper cup in the trash bin beside the table. “I thank my lucky stars every day,” he says drolly.

 

“My physics lab partner sucks,” she tells him. “He’s such a know-it-all.”

 

Ben smirks. “Worse than me?”

 

“Much worse,” Rey chuckles. “You’re a know-it-all, but at least you can back it up with actual intelligence. This guy only _thinks_ he’s smart.”

 

“So, you miss me, then?”

 

In place of an actual answer, Rey scowls at him, but there’s no bite. They’re long past actual barbed remarks at this point; their jabs are always in jest now.

           

Ben leans a hand against the table. The rules of the dance marathon state that he’s not allowed to actually sit, so leaning on something is the best he can do.

 

“Looking forward to the alumni benefit next month?” he asks, his eyes focusing not on her but instead on some people dancing behind her.

 

“Yeah,” she shrugs. “It’s mostly the same every year, but it’s always a good time. And it’s always nice to see your parents.”

 

“Yeah, they ask about you sometimes. You’ve really made an impression on them the past two years.”

 

“Really?” Rey almost squeals.

 

“Yeah,” Ben says, still looking at the dancing taking place behind her. “They like you.”

 

“That is, like, the biggest compliment,” she replies.

 

Ben shrugs his shoulders. Rey observes him carefully. He doesn’t look aggravated by her excitement over his parents, but there’s definitely something distracting him, she thinks.

 

“Are you going with anyone?” he asks casually.

 

They’re allowed to bring dates to the gala, though Rey never has before. This year, however…

 

“Actually, yes!” she says happily.

 

Ben’s eyes return to hers and he offers her a small grin. “Not a Tinder guy, I hope.”

 

“No,” Rey responds, laughing. She hasn’t been back on Tinder since her disastrous date over a year ago. “No, I met him through Rose. He’s one of her sister’s friends.”

 

“Oh, that’s great,” Ben replies coolly. “I look forward to meeting him.”

 

Rey grows wary as she studies Ben’s expression. It’s such a neutral reply, and from anyone else Rey wouldn’t think anything of it, but Ben’s almost always got some snark in his voice, and at this moment, he’s got none.

 

When he noticing her looking at him, his trademark smirk returns. “I should get back to dancing. Don’t want to miss any _fun_.”

 

“Alright.”

 

“See you out on the dance floor, Niima,” he sighs, clearly so done with the night’s events, though he does wiggle his shoulders a little before making his way back to the dance floor.

 

Rey hides her growing smile behind her cup as she finishes her water.

 

**SENIOR YEAR: December**

 

Fellow student ambassador Poe Dameron is throwing an ugly Christmas sweater party at his apartment for all of the ambassadors. It’s a nice idea, but it turns out Poe’s tiny one bedroom apartment is way too small to fit thirty people. This is why Rey finds a corner in the kitchen and decides to make it her area for the evening. Despite burrowing herself in the corner, she manages to do a lot of socializing, though this might have to do with the fact that the area she has staked out is right next to the mixers and drinks.

 

Currently, Finn is trying to convince her to leave her little corner and join a large group of the ambassadors who are about to play Never Have I Ever.

 

“But I’d just stay sober the whole time. I haven’t _done_ anything.”

 

“Not true,” Finn replies, pointing a finger at her. “You told me you used to steal from your foster father’s scrap yard all the time. That’s something.”

 

He’s not wrong. Over the years, Rey probably stole close to a thousand dollars worth of what she considered treasures from her foster father Unkar Plutt’s scrapyard.

 

Rey smirks at her friend’s shrewd attempt to convince her, but she still shakes her head. “Still going to pass. Sorry, bud. I’ll come watch in a little bit though.”

 

This appeases Finn a little bit. As he heads back toward the living room, she sees Ben, who is making his way into the kitchen and heading toward her—or rather, to the drinks.

 

“You’re not playing Never Have I Ever?” Ben asks her, as he mixes a drink for himself.

 

Rey doesn’t even answer his question. She only looks at his solid black sweater and frowns.

 

“What?” he asks.

 

“You’re not wearing an ugly sweater,” she comments.

 

"Oh, I’m not doing that,” he says, right before taking a long chug of his drink.

 

“Clearly,” Rey deadpans. “Why not?”

 

"Because I didn’t feel like it. Also, ugly is subjective. Who knows, someone might think my sweater is ugly.”

 

Rey snorts. “It’s always something with you.”

 

Ben grins. “Yeah, but you like it. I amuse you.”

 

“Yeah, maybe, sometimes.”

 

His grin grows, and Rey thinks he seems pleased with himself. She wants to roll her eyes, but she only smiles back.

 

Ben looks around the small kitchen and says, “That guy you’ve been seeing? He’s not here tonight?”

 

Rey shakes her head. “Nah, we broke up last month.”

 

Ben frowns, looking a little embarrassed—a surprising look for him. “I’m sorry.”

 

She shrugs. “It’s fine. I was the one who ended it. It wasn’t a big dramatic thing. Just two people who didn’t belong together.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They sip their drinks in silence, though, to Rey’s surprise, it’s not an awkward silence; it’s actually very thoughtful and relaxed.

 

“You never answered my question, by the way,” Ben says, after a few moments.

 

“What was your question?”

 

“You’re not playing Never Have I Ever?”

 

Rey shakes her head. “Nah. Not really my thing.”

 

Ben nods. “It’s not really my thing either. Mind if I hang out in here with you?”

 

Rey bites back a comment about how Never Have I Ever seems exactly like Ben’s type of thing, and answers his question with an affirmative headshake.

 

For the next hour, Rey and Ben stay in the kitchen corner, talking. Rey learns that, despite switching majors halfway through college, Ben will graduate on time and is currently applying to several masters programs for History. Rey tells Ben how she did much better than she expected on the MCAT and how after applying to medical school in the fall, she has three interviews lined up in January.

 

Suddenly, Poe calls for both Rey and Ben to come into the living room. They look at each other, confused for a second, before making their way to where the majority of their friends are. As they stand in the threshold of the room—frankly, they can’t really _fit_ in the actual living room—Rey notices that almost all of their fellow student ambassadors, with the exception of Finn, who looks sort of guilty, are grinning at them.

 

“What?” Rey asks, bewildered, and looking at each of her friends, waiting for them to explain why they all look like they’re holding back laughter.

 

“I can’t believe it actually worked,” Armie says, smirking.

 

“What are you talking, Hux?” Ben says, his voice sharp.

 

“Look up,” Poe replies, his usually charming smile molding into something more impish.

 

Ben and Rey look up at the exact same time, and Rey’s heart drops into her stomach. _Mistletoe. Mistletoe that most definitely wasn’t there when Rey arrived earlier in the evening._

“Seriously, you guys?” Rey groans.

 

"Yeah, what the hell, you guys?” Ben tacks on. “You _planned_ this?”

 

If possible, Poe’s grin becomes even more wicked. “We thought it’d be funny, given you two’s history.”

 

“What history?” Rey and Ben both practically shout at the same time.

 

“You know, you pretend to hate each other, but you actually really like each other,” Armie explains.

 

“I mean, we’re friendly,” Rey says, hoping that no one notices the blush that is surely dusting her cheeks at this moment.

 

“Yeah, we get along now. So what?” Ben adds.

 

“So, kiss,” Poe says, like it’s the simplest thing in the world.

 

Rey glances over at Ben, who is not smirking at all. In fact, he looks sort of like she does before taking a big exam— _nervous._

 

“We don’t have to do anything,” he says quietly. “It’s not like they can push our heads together and make us.”

 

“But if we don’t, we might never hear the end of it,” Rey counters, before she can stop herself. _Why is she trying to convince Ben to kiss her?_

 

Just then Poe and Armie start chanting, “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss!” More people instantly join in, and soon everyone in the apartment is shouting, “Kiss!” at the top of their lungs.

 

“Let’s just do it and get it over with,” she mutters.

           

“You’re sure?” he asks, and she’s surprised to see he looking at her almost... _tenderly._

 

“Yeah, just come here.”

 

Ben slowly starts to lean down, and before he can get very far, Rey grabs his sweater and pulls him down to her lips.

 

Honestly, it’s not the worst kiss she’s ever had. In fact, it’s pretty damn good. Ben’s lips are soft and he’s firm but gentle as he presses them to her own lips. Her hands let go of his sweater and slide their way up to his shoulders, and before she realizes it, she’s wound her arms around his neck. After she does this, Ben places his hands on her waist and pulls her closer toward him.

 

Rey finds herself lost in the moment, forgetting where she is. She can only focus on how surprisingly nice it is to kiss Ben. Almost instinctively, she flicks her tongue across the seam of his lips, and Ben responds by both opening his mouth for her and tightening his grip on her waist. When she feels his fingers squeeze her body, she involuntary lets out a moan.

 

“ _Damn!”_ Poe Dameron exclaims, and that’s what causes them to break the kiss.

 

For a second, they look at each other, flushed and a little shell-shocked, and then in sync, they turn to their peers with matching scowls on their faces.

 

“Happy now, assholes?” Rey asks, hands on her hips and hoping that her indignation will cover up how flustered she’s currently feeling.

 

“Delighted!” Poe cracks up.

 

Rey glances back up at Ben, who shrugs and runs a hand through his thick hair before muttering, “I need another drink.”

 

An errant thought crosses her mind: _His hair. I should have run my hands through his hair._ She shakes off the thought immediately and then forces her way into the living room to beat up on Finn for what just happened.

 

Later in the evening as she’s getting ready to leave, Rey goes into Poe’s bedroom where she left her purse and she runs into Ben, who has just stepped out of the bathroom. It’s just the two of them in the room, and for some reason—or maybe for a very obvious reason—she feels almost as apprehensive as she did when she first had to be in Ben Solo’s presence back when they were freshmen.

 

“So, that was weird,” she says, trying to break the tension.

 

“It’s only weird if you make it weird,” Ben replies, lingering in the doorway of the bathroom.

 

Rey grabs her purse from Poe’s bed and sighs. “So, let’s agree not to make it weird, then.”

 

“You can count on me,” he tells her. She thinks she detects a hint of amusement in his voice.

 

“Good. I’m heading out. Have a good break and merry Christmas.”

 

Ben, who is still in the bathroom doorway, waves goodbye. “Same to you, Niima.”

 

She turns around, heading toward the bedroom door. When her hand is on the doorknob, Ben calls out, “Hey, Rey?”

 

“Yeah?” she replies, her heart doing a weird dance in her chest. He never calls her by her first name.

 

Ben fishes something out of his pocket and tosses it to her. “Your Christmas present.”

 

Rey catches what he’s thrown and then looks down at the small object in her palm. It’s lip balm.

 

She’s so mortified that she wouldn’t be surprised if her face was glowing in the dark right now.

 

Before she can stutter out a response, Ben says, “In case there’s a next time.”

 

“A next time?” she exclaims incredulously. “You _want_ a next time?”

 

Ben shrugs a little and starts to respond, but Rey cuts him off. “Wait—are you saying my lips were chapped? Was it an uncomfortable kiss? What—“

 

“Chill out, Niima. Your lips were fine. It was a lovely kiss. I was just making a joke.”

 

Rey groans in frustration before throwing his lip balm back at him. It hits him in the chest, but he doesn’t even react.

 

“I think I’m going to go back to calling you an insufferable asshole again,” she mutters, but she says it in a tone of voice to let him know she’s not mad. It’s more teasing than anything else. It’s what they’re good at all.

 

“I’d be honored,” he replies, putting the lip balm back in his pocket. “But anyway, I’ll let you go. See you after break.”

 

“Yeah, see you,” Rey says, before turning around and exiting the room.

 

**SENIOR YEAR: March**

 

It’s the night of the alumni benefit, and after two straight hours of socializing with wealthy alums, Rey heads to the bar and orders a gin and tonic. She’s never drunk at the benefit before, but she’s a senior and will be graduating in two months, so she figures _what the hell?_

 

Just after ordering her drink, Ben sidles up to the bar beside her.

 

“Did I just hear you order a drink? An _alcoholic_ drink?” he asks, grinning widely.

 

“Perhaps,” she answers coyly.

 

“I’d like to think this is my influence running off on you over the years, but—“

 

“But you’d be deluding yourself,” Rey finishes for him, just as the bartender places the drink in front of her.

 

Ben laughs. “Yeah.” He quickly orders his own drink and then turns his attention back to her. “New dress this year, I see.”

 

Rey looks down at her dress. Yes, it’s different from the simple black dress she’s worn over the past three years. She and Rose had decided to go shopping and splurge on new dresses for their final year at the benefit.

 

Rey had chosen a strappy maroon dress with a mostly open back and a significant V-neck in the front. It wasn’t something anyone would expect to see Rey wearing, which is why Rey loved it and ultimately decided to buy it.

 

“Yeah, new dress. Very observant, Solo,” Rey replies, smiling.

 

“The dress looks good on you. You look really nice tonight.”

 

 Rey takes a long gulp of her drink, hoping the alcohol will calm her increasingly jittery nerves. If the compliment had come from anyone else, Rey wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but this was Ben. He had been a lot friendlier—though he never lost his teasing edge—after their kiss, but this comment really takes the cake.

 

And it wasn’t just Ben. As of lately, Rey found her own thoughts drifting to her roguish peer.

 

“Thanks. You look nice too.”

 

“I try,” he said, shrugging with obvious false modesty.

 

His drink arrives, and Rey expects him to bid her goodbye before returning to where he came, but instead he sticks around.

 

“Had a chance to talk to my parents yet?”

 

Rey nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, we talked for awhile. You know how much I love them.”

 

Ben rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. “Yeah, I know.”

 

 “They told me they were proud of you, you know?” she tells him.

 

During the first part of Rey’s conversation with Ben’s parents, they had asked her about medical school, and she had proudly informed them that she got accepted into Coruscant School of Medicine—her first choice for medical school. They had been so elated for her that for a moment Rey wanted to pretend as if they were _her_ parents. Ben’s parents then proceeded to talk about Ben and how proud they were of him. Ben, Rey learned, had been accepted to Coruscant University’s Doctoral of History program. Ben had not told Rey any of this yet, and Rey found herself strangely happy to know she’d be in the same city as Ben next year.

 

Ben, to Rey’s surprise, blushes. “Yeah, they keep telling me that as of lately.”

 

“I didn’t know you had been accepted to C.U.’s History program. That’s great!”

 

“Yeah, I’m excited. I’m sure you are too.”

 

“I really am,” Rey replies.

 

Rey watches as Ben’s gaze travels to the jazz band that’s providing the night’s entertainment. For the past three years, the gala organizers have hired a band that covers all the basic party songs from the 70s and 80s, but this year they decided to employ a jazz band for entertainment. Rey’s finds it to be a refreshing change.

 

Ben finishes his drink and plops the empty cup on the bar top. “I think we should dance,” he tells her, very matter-of-factly.

 

“What?” Rey asks, certain she hadn’t heard him correctly.

 

“I think. You and I. Should dance,” he says in a slow, staccato voice.

 

“Seriously?”

 

Ben shrugs. “Yeah, why not?”

 

“I mean…”

 

Ben rolls his eyes at Rey’s indecision. “C’mon,” he says, offering her his hand.

 

Rey looks down at the proffered hand and then back up at Ben. She examines his expression to see if he’s somehow messing with her, but it’s clear that he’s not.

 

_What does she have to lose?_

She takes his hand and he leads her out onto the dance floor where approximately two-dozen other people are dancing to the slow jazz music. The beat is slow enough to assume a slow dance position—Ben has one hand on her waist and his other clasped in Rey’s, while Rey’s free hand rests on his shoulder—but fast enough that the dance isn't deliberately romantic. It’s upbeat and fun, and Rey and Ben quickly fall into a surprisingly comfortable rhythm with one another.

 

“I wouldn’t have taken you for a dancer,” Rey comments.

 

“You may or may not be surprised to learn that my mother put me in dance classes as a child,” he responds, and though his voice is dry, the expression on his face is light.

 

“Man, now I love your mom more than I already did,” Rey tells him.

 

Ben huffs out a chuckle and then surprises Rey by twirling her around in a little circle before drawing her back to him. Unable to help herself, Rey laughs, all the while trying to ignore how her heart is continuously picking up speed in her chest.

           

Ben’s own eyes are sparkling, and his usual smirk is gone in favor of a much more open, inviting smile. It’s a good look on him, she thinks.

 

“What would your reaction have been if I told you that you’d be dancing with me when we were freshman at this gala?” Ben asks. His tone is still light, but Rey can hear the very serious inquiry in it.

 

“I would have said, ‘That asshole? No way!’” Rey replies.

 

“You really hated me back then,” he says knowingly.

 

“Yeah, I really did,” she responds thoughtfully. “But over the years, you got more tolerable.”

 

Ben winks at her. “Oh, c’mon. I’m more than _tolerable_.”

 

“Yeah, you’re all right,” Rey tells him, her cheeks warming. She’s pretty sure they’re flirting now; however, this is still Ben Solo, who is infamous for his snarky banter, so she can’t say for certain.

 

They continue to dance in a comfortable silence. Occasionally, Ben will twirl her around, and Rey is delighted by it every time. Finally, the song ends, and Ben asks her if she wants to keep dancing.

 

Rey shrugs. “Sure, why not?”

 

Again, Ben smiles, wide and uninhibited. “Great,” he replies happily.

 

They resume dancing, and Rey notices the peculiar expression painted on Ben’s face, similar to the one he had right before they kissed. As much as she’s realized she’s not opposed to the idea of kissing Ben, she’d prefer not to do it in a public setting. He makes no attempt to move his face closer, however. Instead, he speaks in a surprisingly soft but still confident voice.

 

“Rey?”

 

She looks up and into his eyes. “Yeah?”

 

“When we both get to Coruscant in the fall, I’d like to take you out sometime.”

 

After taking a second to recover from his request, Rey surprises both him and herself by raising an eyebrow, giving him a sly grin, and saying, “Why wait until then?”

**Author's Note:**

> I had one more section (graduation) I wanted to add to this, but I couldn't manage to work it out. I've got like three different half-written attempts saved, so maybe one day I'll be able to figure out exactly what I'm trying to say. If you're interested in reading this possible epilogue, please subscribe.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> [Tumblr](https://castle-and-crowns.tumblr.com)


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